JacksonYSHS - U.S. Government-Civics Course Syllabus

U.S. Government Civics Syllabus-Course Description.doc

Course Description/Syllabus

United States Government/Civics

Brief Description of Course:

United States Government/Civics is a course designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in United States Government/Civics. Students should learn to assess political science materials, their relevance to a given interpretive problem, reliability, and importance, and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in political science scholarship.

In addition to exposing students to the political science content areas listed below, this course should also train students to analyze and interpret primary sources, including, primary source documents, documentary material, maps, statistical tables, and visual and graphic evidence of political/historical events. Students need to have an awareness of multiple interpretations of political/historical issues in secondary sources. Students should have a sense of multiple causation and change over time, and should be able to compare political developments or trends from one period to another.

Course Materials:

Primary Text:

Magruder's American Government (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001) revised by William A McClenaghan.

Additional Materials:

Other works consulted, and available to be assigned, to accompany and augment student assignments and daily/weekly lesson plans are listed below.

Examples (Not Limited To):

Document Based Questions in American History (Evanston, Illinois: The DBQ Project, 2008)
Civics Government and Citizenship (Needham Massachusetts: Prentice Hall, 1990)
AP U.S. Government and Politics Flashcards (600 key U.S. government and political terms)

Various audiovisual (DVDs, streaming video) that augments concepts studied.
Examples (Not Limited To):

America’s Documents of Freedom 1215-1920 (Just the Facts Series).
A DVD History of the U.S. Constitution 1619-2005 (Ambrose DVD)
All The President’s Men (Warner Bros DVD)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Streaming Digital Media Library (1482 videos on U.S. History/Government/Civics)
INFOhio Digital Video Collection

Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated with following activities:

Chapter and section assessments, outlines, short and extended response questions, document based question (DBQs), vocabulary and identifications assignments, as well as research and writing projects
Students will be assessed with Chapter and or Unit Tests, Semester and Final Exams, and evaluation of research and writing projects.
Students will complete additional reading assignments and written critical reviews and reflections.

Primary Assignments:

Pre-assess student knowledge of United States Government and Civics.
Students will outline each chapter of the primary text using Cornell outlining method.
Students define and identify key individuals, events, and terms.
Critical Thinking Skills: e.g.
- o Recognizing Propaganda
- o Making Comparisons
- o Recognizing
Students will review discuss main ideas and concepts, analyze primary and secondary sources:
- o Primary - e.g. the Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, Supreme Court Decisions, treaties, etc.
- o Secondary – political cartoons, books, movies, etc.
  - Students will practice writing short answer and extended response answers.
  - Students research important concepts and prepare formal research papers on various topics, e.g. the Electoral College, constitutional issues; segregation, abortion, presidential power, etc.

Curriculum Plan: First Semester

Unit 1. Foundations of American Government:

Principles of Government
- o Government and the State
- o Forms of Government
- o Basic Concepts of Democracy
- Origins of American Government
  - o Political Beginnings
  - o Declaring Independence
  - o A Critical Period/Articles of Confederation
  - o Creating the Constitution
  - o Ratifying the Constitution
  - The Constitution
    - o Six Basic Principles of the Constitution
    - o Formal Amendment Process
    - o Informal Amendment Process
    - o Bill of Rights

Federalism
- o Federalism: The Division of Power
- o National Government and the 50 States
- o Interstate Relations

Unit 2. Political Behavior:

Political Parties
- o What Political Parties Do
- o The Two-Party System
- o The Two-Party System in American History
- o Minor Parties
- o Party Organization
- Voters and Voter Behavior
  - o Suffrage/The Right to Vote
  - o Voter Qualifications
  - o Suffrage and Civil Rights
  - o Voter Behavior
  - The Electoral Process
    - o The Nomination Process
    - o Elections
    - o Money and Elections
    - o Emergence and impact of Super Pacs via Supreme Court Citizens United decision
    - Mass Media and Public Opinion
      - o Formation of Public Opinion
      - o Measuring Public Opinion
      - o Mass Media
      - o Emergence and Importance of the Internet and Social Media
      - Interest Groups
        o Nature of Interest Groups
        o Types of Interest Groups (Emergence and impact of Super Pacs via Supreme Court Citizens United decision)
        o Interest Groups at Work

Unit 3. The Legislative Branch

Congress
- o A National Legislature
- o House of Representatives
- o The Senate
- o The Members of Congress
- Powers of Congress
  - o Scope of Congressional Powers
  - o The Expressed Powers of Money and Commerce
  - o Other Expressed Powers
  - o Implied Powers
  - o Non-Legislative Powers
  - Congress In Action
    - o How Congress Is Organized
    - o Congressional Committees
    - o How a Bill Becomes a Law: The House of Representatives
    - o How a Bill Becomes a Low: The Senate

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*First Semester Exam: 80 multiple choice questions, 2 short answer questions, and 2 extended response questions.
*First Semester Reading Assignment: From of list of teacher selected books and or articles students will read and write an analytical review as well as engage in periodic class discussions on their book/article.
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Curriculum Plan: Second Semester
Unit 4. The Executive Branch:

The Presidency
- o The President’s Job Description
- o Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency
- o Presidential Selection: The Framer’s Plan
- o Presidential Nominations
- o The Election/Electoral College

The Presidency In Action
- o Growth of Presidential Power
- o Presidential Executive Power
- o Diplomatic and Military Power
- o Legislative and Judicial Power
- Government at Work: Bureaucracy
  - o Federal Bureaucracy
  - o Executive Office of the President
  - o Executive Departments
  - o Independent Agencies
  - o Civil Service
  - Financing the Government
    - o Taxes
    - o Non-Tax Revenue and Borrowing
    - o Spending and Budget
    - Foreign Policy and National Defense
      - o Foreign Affairs and National Security
      - o Foreign and Defense Agencies
      - o American Foreign Policy Overview
      - o Foreign Aid and Defense Alliances

Unit 5: The Judicial Branch

The Federal Court System
- o The National Judiciary
- o The Inferior Courts
- o The Supreme Court
- o The Special Courts
- Civil Liberties: The First Amendment Freedoms
  - o Unalienable Rights
  - o Freedom of Religion
  - o Freedom of Speech and Press
  - o Freedom of Assembly and Petition
  - Civil Liberties: Protecting Individual Rights
    - o Due Process of Law
    - o Freedom and Security of the Person
    - o Rights of the Accused
    - o Punishment

Civil Rights: Equal Justice Under Law
- o Diversity and Discrimination in American Society
- o Equality Before the Law
- o Federal Civil Rights Laws
- o American Citizenship

Unit: 6: Comparative Political and Economic Systems

Comparative Political Systems
- o Great Britain
- o Japan
- o Mexico
- o Russia
- o China

Comparative Economic Systems
- o Capitalism
- o Socialism
- o Communism
- o Mixed Economies

Unit 7: State and Local Government

Governing States
- o State Constitutions
- o The Governor and State Administration
- o The Judiciary

Local Government and Finance
- o Counties, Towns, and Townships
- o Cities and Metropolitan Areas
- o Proving important civic services
- o Financing State and Local Government

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*Second Semester Exam: 80 multiple choice questions, 2 short answer, and 2 extended response questions.

*Second Semester Reading Assignment:
All The President’s Men by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward: students will read and write an analytical review as well as engage in periodic class discussions on the book.
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